Month: April 2025

As the fifth anniversary of the coronavirus pandemic rolls round, we can all reflect on the curve ball it threw us, forcing us to adapt quickly to stay in business. Five years on, the world continues to change and we have to ask, “what challenges do businesses face in 2025?”

There are certainly many challenges on the horizon. However, we believe that open-minded businesses can continue to thrive in this changing world. In this blog, we look at the five biggest issues and how UK businesses can withstand them.

  1. Climate change

It’s easy to think that climate change is all about protecting rainforests and polar bears, neither of which we have in the UK. But climate change is affecting UK businesses. We really felt for businesses in Glasgow who lost days of trade to Storm Eowyn in January this year, when shops and services were told not to open because the extreme weather posed a risk to human life. And what about the dilemmas faced by businesses that sell plastic products, for example, or cars or fast fashion?

What you can do

If your business is directly impacted by climate change and new consumer trends, you need to find a way to make your business future-proof. Whether you keep a bigger financial reserve to cover you when storms prevent you from opening, or find new products that appeal to a more environmentally-conscious market, an open-mind will provide a solution. What we cannot do is pretend that climate change isn’t happening.

  1. Price fluctuations

Everything is expensive at the moment. Labour, raw materials, rent, energy…the list goes on. Impressively, however, many businesses are finding ways to do more with less, making their income go further while maintaining the great service they’re known for.

What you can do

Reviewing your financial position can often help you find savings. From unpaid invoices to obsolete subscriptions, chasing what you’re owed and clearing out what you don’t use can add more money to the pot.

  1. High interest rates

One of the reasons that prices are rising is that interest rates are high. This can be a big problem if you’re repaying a business loan or you have a mortgage on your premises.

What you can do

Again, reviewing your finances might reveal areas where you can make savings or reduce the size of your loans. And if you’re lucky enough to be saving or you’re keeping funds back for a big project, you can take advantage of higher interest rates and make your money work harder.

  1. Employment rights

The Employment Rights Bill that came into force last summer was created to protect workers. However, it has created problems for employers, particularly in the retail, hospitality and care sectors. You can read our blog on it here.

Similarly, the increase in employers’ national insurance contributions has made some businesses think twice before taking on new staff.

What you can do

Outsourcing gives you a way to work with a team without having to become an employer. And if outsourcing isn’t an option, you could work with an HR expert and review your processes. Checking your processes for compliancy might reveal areas for savings too.

  1. AI

AI is a somewhat mixed blessing. In the plus column, it is speeding up business processes for many of us and creating new opportunities and ways of working. In the minus column, it is undermining jobs in the creative industries and driving down the quality of internet content.

What you can do

Forward-looking businesses in 2025 need to be open to the benefits of AI but also aware of its pitfalls. Find out more about AI here.

Get Ahead supports agile businesses

If our blog has made you feel ready to take on 2025’s challenges, we’re here to help. Our finance experts can help you review your accounts and find savings, while our HR outsourcing managers can talk you through new employee rights and keep you up to date. Our business development experts can compile risk assessments for your business. And our virtual assistants can work with you on business continuity planning, so you’re ready for any eventuality. We can also help you access the right AI for your business, making the most of new technology and saving time and money into the bargain.

All our support is fully flexible – choose from fixed hours every month or ad hoc support.

Explore our site to find out more, follow us on social media, or talk to your local regional director. We’re ready for whatever 2025 wants to throw at us!

At Get Ahead, we’re full of admiration for small businesses who do their own marketing. However, we also know how easy it is to become stuck in a marketing rut. If you’re churning out the same content every week, or your page views aren’t as strong as they used to be, it’s time for a different approach to marketing.

In this blog, we catch up with marketing expert Steve who shares some his top tips for pulling yourself out of a marketing rut.

How do I know I’m stuck in a marketing rut?!

Steve: The biggest sign is that you’re doing what you always do but your figures are lower than you’d like. For example, if you create LinkedIn posts every week and your interactions are going down not up, your posts might be getting stale. Or if you used to get customers via your website but it’s all gone a bit quiet, you might have missed a new SEO trend. And if you’re just bored of all your content and you know, deep down, that it doesn’t really reflect your brand, it’s time for a change.

Fortunately, these problems are easy to solve. Here are my top ideas:

  1. Check the algorithm

Google, Meta (Facebook & Instagram), LinkedIn and other platforms are forever updating their algorithms! Just when you thought you’d found a successful formula, the platform changed the way it worked and now your customers no longer see your content.

If you can see your page views or post views going down in number, your old approach might need a refresh. Check out updates on the Search Engine Journal, or ask a SEO or social media expert to audit your digital content.

  1. Update your content

While I’m a big fan of some smart repurposing, even the best content wears out eventually. If your social media followers have seen all those life quotes, product images, blogs and infographics before, that’s probably why they’re not interacting with them anymore.

Instead, create some new content. Build on a frequently asked question or write a case study on a recent project. Alternatively, you could work with a marketing expert to generate some new ideas and turn them into shareable content.

  1. Try a new medium

Unless you’re a massive brand, it’s unlikely that you’ve got the resources to cover every sort of marketing. But that doesn’t mean you have to stick with the ones you’ve always used. For example, if you’ve never had a newsletter before, maybe it’s time to set one up. Remember, you’re not pestering people, you’re informing them! Maybe you’ve been reluctant to explore video but your customers would really benefit from seeing you demonstrate your products.

Jot down a list of all the marketing approaches you don’t currently use and choose one to explore. If the one you choose is completely new to you, don’t worry – Get Ahead’s team of experts (including me!) are all here to help you.

  1. Find the latest trend

Business owners have really busy lives and it can be hard to keep up with marketing trends in your industry. However, investing some time exploring what others in your sector are saying in the press and on social media will pay off – looking at the hashtags that popular posts are using is a great start. You might find a new trend to inspire a different marketing approach.

  1. Outsource

Bringing some new people into your marketing team can generate lot of exciting changes. Freelancers and virtual experts have worked for lots of different organisations – they’re buzzing with fresh ideas that they can’t wait to share with you.

Marketing support from Get Ahead

If you know you’re stuck in a marketing rut and it’s time for shake-up, Get Ahead can help. As well as Steve, we have a strong team of marketing experts to support you. Whether you need an hour’s tuition on uploading YouTube videos or a complete marketing team, our outsourcing model can deliver the right solution for you. And because we’re fully flexible, you can have as much or as little support as you need, all within your time and budget.

Explore our site to find out more, or follow us on social media.